5. Mood changes
Maybe you won’t expect it, but mood swings are pretty common in the early stages of dementia. Those affected by it might not recognize this in themselves, but for you as a person who sees it from the outside, it may be easy to observe it in others.
Anxiety and depression are very common in the early stages of dementia. It might happen that your spouse gets mad if their routine is changed or if they are put in unfamiliar contexts.
Besides mood changes, dementia can also cause personality changes. Maybe your spouse is usually introverted and shy, but now they are outgoing and talkative. They suddenly want to interact with everyone and are telling jokes.
Sudden changes like these are not normal, and if you notice anything like this happening to your spouse, it might be an early dementia sign.
Thank you for your post on Dementia. My wife and I are in our eighties and we are still travaling by car to vacations here in the states. We have travaled to South America and Europe in group plans. So far I beleive we haven’t had problems but I am interested in staying informed of Dementia.
I’ve been seeing a lot of these signs in my husband for the last 5 years or more, but it’s gotten worse in the last 2 years!
He’s now 70 years old & we’ve been married for over 45 years!